Why universities are dominated by the left?

Edward Feser has an excellent article on Tech Central Station called Why universities are dominated by the Left, which is a question a good many of us have pondered before.

Edward analyses many of the theories that people have about that, all of them I think are true to some extent.

The one I think is probably the most true of them all is the “Philospher King” theory, where these intellectuals are forever repeating things like if only world would do what I say kind of mantras.

Still, the intellectual is forever a sucker for the idea that things would be much better if only everyone would just go along with the vision of the world he and his colleagues have hashed out over coffee in the faculty lounge and in the pages of the academic journals. As Hayek put it in The Fatal Conceit, “intelligent people will tend to overvalue intelligence,” and they will even find it scandalous to suggest that intelligence is the sort of thing that can be overvalued. But of course it can be, as long as it has limits, which even the most brilliant human being’s intelligence does. To see this requires nothing more, though also nothing less, than simple humility — something intellectuals tend to have in short supply, especially if their intellectual accomplishments are great.

As I said all of the theories hold up. I have personally seen the “Survival of the Leftist”, where professors only hire people who would tend to agree with them into their faculties. Danish universities in the 1970’s were a hotbed of radical marxism. My Dad who due to reading Popper at an early age decided against communism became a Social Democrat. This outburst of right wing extremism of his part, meant that he couldnt get positions at his Alma Mater the University of Aarhus. His only alternative was the new University of Aalborg where they were a bit more open minded due to their newness.

Mind you AUC does have its fair share of Communist symbolism. At one the main campuses there is a huge portal with a star in it. Near this there is a large star embedded in the concrete of the road way. In Denmark the only real symbolism associated with starts are Communist stars as found in the flags of USSR and PRC. This was very common in the 70’s used to symbolise the new workers world.